The Rise Of Anti-Normcore Beauty

Fashion might be going normcore, but in the beauty world, it’s the supernatural that’s making its way off the runways and into the mainstream. There’s nothing wrong with natural beauty, of course — after all, it's the one Fashion Week trend that will never die. But, it seems beauty is evolving into territory that many of us never thought we’d ever see on the street.

Nowadays, if your hair isn’t pastel, pixie, or a combination of the two, you’re a little bit behind the curve. Warming up to nail art? The girl next to you on the subway is probably already rocking 3-D decals. Considering ombré? Ireland Baldwin's hair has already been every shade of the rainbow. It seems like it was just yesterday that blue nail polish was considered not-so-safe for work, but we're in a whole new (and very colorful) era. Bottom line? It’s officially okay to have fun with beauty (and dye your hair the exact shade of lilac that your heart desires), whether you’re a performance artist in the East Village or a cubicle cutie in Midtown. And, you know what? We dig it.

The question is: What will be the next iteration of extreme beauty in the mainstream? It’s become de rigeur for even beauty novices to have full lipstick and nail-polish wardrobes — so, we’re predicting that women will continue to have fun with color and proportion, without giving a hoot whether or not the look could feasibly occur in nature. Wig collections to shake up Saturday nights? A collection of faux lashes to add some spice to Tuesday morning meetings? Bring. It. On. The beauty of beauty is, of course, that it’s an art project that is never finished. So, embellish away, and be fearless. If anything goes awry, the good news is that none of this is permanent. Some hair dye, a makeup wipe, or nail polish remover is all you need to erase the evidence and start anew.

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